Scientists at an Italian university have come up with a pollution-detecting robot that jumps around like a flea. The palm-sized device was developed with its bug-like abilities to enable it to move more quickly over the ground when searching for the source of a noxious leak.
Umberto Scarfogliero, one of the men behind the University of Lucca project, says that the team focused on fleas and frogs in particular when researching the ‘bot. “Robots like these are far more efficient than larger ones in scouring vast areas of land in a shorter time,” he explained. The little critters are now being equipped with sensors that will allow them to locate sources of mercury poisoning. [Axcess News]
